Bag making and dispensing machine



y 1960 s. 'r. SCHJELDAHL. EI'AL 2,936,815

BAG mm: AND DISPENSING MACHINE FilOd June 8, 1955 INVENTORS I GILMORE T.SCHJELDAHL R NEY WALTER VON STOESSER BY 5 O ATT BAG MAKING ANDDISPENSING MACHINE Gilmore T. Schjeldahl, Farmington, and Walter VonStoesser, Lake Villa, 111., assignors, by direct and mesne assignments,to G.v T. Schjeldahl Company, Northfield, Minn., a corporation ofMinnesota Application June 8, 1955, Serial No. 513,929

' 5 Claims. ci. 154-42 This invention relates to a bag forming anddispensing machine adapted to dispense polyethylene bags to be used atthe point of filling and sealing thereof. The machine is adapted toreceive a supply roll of tubularly formed or centerfolded polyethylenematerial either with plain or gusseted side edges. Any mention of use oftubular applies equally as well to centerfolded material. Thepolyethylene tubing is adapted to be fed into the bag forming machinethrough feed rollers.

A feature resides in regulating the bags in the machine so that anyprinting on the bags will be properly positioned in relation to thesealed and open end of the bag when the bag is finished and dispensedfrom the, machine. The regulating of the bags in the machine iscontrolled by perforating the tubing used in making up the bag. Thetubing which is adapted to be used in making up the bags on our machineis perforated at predetermined intervals and each supply roll of thetubing is formed with the perforations in properly predetermined spacedrelation so that when the tubing is fed into the machine it isregistered by the perforations to cut the tubing otf in the desiredlength for the bag and at the bottom end of the same. I

The machine is designed to complete the bags from a prefabricated rollof tubing and the perforations regulate the operation of the machinesothat the bags are cut OE and sealed automatically by means ofelectrically controlled sealing and cutting means and by automaticallyfeeding the finished bag out of the machine.

It is a feature to provide a machine which is electrically operated andcontrolled to finish bags in any desired length from a supply roll oftubing made of polyethylene and wherein the bags may be dispensed one ata time or continuously, or the machine may be automatically operated bywithdrawing a finished bag from the machine which automatically sets themachine into operation to make another bag and move the same intoposition to be engaged and removed from the machine. Thus, the operatormay cause the machine to be operated by withdrawing a finished bag whichis held in readiness to be engaged or the operator may press a buttoncausing the machine to finish abag from the supply roll of tubing, andif desired the machine may be set to operate continuously so long asthere is a supply of tubing comingfrom the supply roll to make one bagafter another and to automatically dispense the same. 7

It is also a featureto provide a roll of unperforated tubularmaterialwhich may be processed through our machine in a manner to makefinished bags of different predetermined lengths.

-A further feature resides in providing a roll of tubular material andpassing the tubular material through a printing means to print a mark onthe tubular material. Inthis process of finishing bags, the printed markon the material passes under an electric eye which controls theoperating means of our machine tocut off the tubular material .intopredetermined lengths and to simultaneously' seal oneend thereof.

2,936,815 Patented May 17, 1960 The features, details and objects willbe more fully an clearly hereinafter defined.

In the drawings forming part of this specifictaion:

Figure 1 is a diagrammatic side view of a machine illustrating themanner in which our invention is carried out. I

Figure 2 is a roll of material used in making the bags by our method andmachine.

bags.

Figure 4 diagrammatically illustrates a perforating attachment to ourmachine which is adapted to perforate the tubing as it is fed into themachine which perforations are spaced at predetermined intervals whichin turn controls the length of bags finished by our machine. Figure 5diagrammatically illustrates a printing means which is adapted to printa spot or mark on the unperforated .tubular material, and when the markor spot passes under an electric eye the mechanism of the machine isoperated to cut ofl? the tubing and to simultaneously operate thesealing means to seal one end of the bag. p I

The-primary feature of this invention resides in providing a supply rollof tubular material which can be processed through a machine to formfinished bags. The supply roll of tubing is prefabricated. The tubingofthe supply roll may be formed with a plain side edge or with agusseted side and the tubing is processed in a roll and is adapted toform a supply of material made of poly-' ethylene which has beenpreformed into tube-like shape but wound on the roll flat so thatthesides of the tubing lie against each other when the roll is complete.

. Thesupply roll of polyethylene 10 is wound upon a core member 11 inmaking the roll and is adapted to be mounted upon a shaft 12 of themachine which is diagrammatically illustrated in Figure 1. The tubing 13of the roll 10 is adapted to be unwound from the supply roll 10 asillustrated in Figures 1 and 2 and the tubing is perforated with holes14 through both walls thereof. The holes 14 in the tubing 13 are for thepurpose of Petr.

mitting contacting fingers to complete an electric circuit pair of feedrollers 15 at the receiving end between which the tubing 13 is carriedcausing the tubing 13 to travel along in a horizontal direction on thebed of the machine. A and between the rollers 16 to carry the tubing 13be-, tween the discharge rollers 17.

Positioned between the carrying rollers 16 and the discharge rollers 17we provideatransversely disposed cut off knife 18 and a sealing means 19which is adapted to seal the sides of the tubing 13 transversely at 19'.The sealing. 19' is adapted to be formed at the bottom of the bag B. Thecut off knife or means 18 cuts the tubing 13 ofi along'the transverseline 21 which is virtually cen-.-

trally disposed in relation to the holes 14 and the cut off line 21 isdirectly adjacent the sealing line 19.

We provide electric contact fingers or elements 20 which are adjustablypositioned to be moved along the line of travel through the machine A.Thus the fingers tubing :13 through the machine A. When the machineFigure 3 illustrates the perspective of one ofthe finished A is set tomake a predetermined length bag as the tubing 13 is passed under theelectric contact fingers 20 anelectric circuit (not shown) will beclosed to oper ate the cutter 13 to cut off the tubing 13, and the heatsealing bar 19 forms the seal 19'.

The tubing 13 normally opens the electric circuit controlled by thefingers 29 as the tubing 13 passes under the fingers exceptingwhen thefingers come in contact with the holes 14. Thus, the machine A is onlyoperated to cut off and seal the tubing when the fingers 26 close theelectric circuit for operating the cutter 18 and the sealing bar 19.

The machine A is designed to position a finished bag B with the open end22 projecting beyond the roller 17 so that the end 22 may be engaged andthe bag B withdrawn from between the rollers 17. We :provide anelectrically operated solenoid 23 having a core member 24 which carriesa plate 25 which normally bears against the bottom of the tubing of thebag B as illustrated in Figure l. The core member 24 of the solenoid 23is urged by the spring 26 to cause the plate 25 to engage the undersurface of the bag B. When the end 22 of the finished bag B is engagedand the bag is pulled from the machine A, the core member 24 of thesolenoid 23 will be urged by the spring 26 into momentary contact withthe upper plate 27 which closes an electric circuit (not illustrated inthe-drawings) causing the rollers 15, 16 and 17 to operate to carry thetubing 13 along in the machine A and between the plates 25 and 27. Afterthe tubular material 13 is Started through the machine, the contactfingers 20 take over causing the tubing to be cut off in the desiredlength and sealed by the sealing means to form the bottom of the bagB.The plates 25 and 27 are normally spaced apart to permit the tubing 13to pass between the same. As the tubing 13 passes under the fingers 20 acircuit is closed to operate the cutting knife 18 and the sealing bar19, another bag is completed by cutting off from the tubing 13 andsealed along the transverse line 19' at the bottom. Virtually at thesame time that the electric contact plates 25 and 27 engage to close acircuit to operate the feed rollers 15, 16 and 17, the solenoid 23 willoperate to open the space between the plates 25 and 27 to permit thetubing 13 to be fed between the same so that the end 22 of the bag ismoved into engageable position to permit the operator to engage the bagB when desired to withdraw the same.

Normally while a bag B' is in position ready to be removed from themachine A the electric contact plates 25 and-27 are held apart by thewalls of the bagtB or tubing 13, and the machine A willnot operate atthis time to draw a supply of tubing 13 from the supply roll 10.However, the moment the operator desires a bagB, he engages the end 22and pulls the same from the machine A. This act closes a circuit throughthe plates 25 and 27 to cause the machine A to operate and feedsufiicient tubing '13 into position to be cut off by the knife 15 andsealed by the bar 19 thereby positioning a new complete bag in readinessfor use. In Figure 3 we have illustrated a completed bag B showing theside edges of the bag made with a gusset formation 28. It will also beapparent that one-half of the hole 14 will be positioned along thebottom edge 21 while the other half of one of the holes 14 will appearin the engagable end 22.

As a matter of convenience in describing the operation of the machine A,we have illustrated round holes '14. These holes are formed in thetubing after it is made from fiat polyethylene film into a seamed tube.The tubing 13 isrolled with the sides of thesame flattened to form asupply rolllt), and these rolls can be of any desired size. The free endof the roll is removably sealed to the outer surface of the roll 10.When a supply roll 15 is desired to be placed in the machine A, it isadapted to be mounted upon the shaft 12 and placed in the machine withthe friction belt 29 draped over the roll, and the weight 30 hingingfreely at the free end of the belt 29 to provide a simple means ofapplying friction to the outer. surface of the supply roll 1t) which isadapted to keep the roll from unwinding too freely.

The machine A is illustrated in the drawings diagrammatically, and it isobvious that the same may be made in a suitable manner to carry out theoperation of making individual bags as heretofore set forth. The machinemay be operated as heretofore described to make one bag at a time and tostop operating as soon as the bag has been made and placed in readinessto be removed with the free end thereof projecting at the discharge end.However, it will be apparent that by suitable means (not shown) themachine A may be equipped to operate automatically to make one bag afteranother and to discharge the finished bags on a receiving tray 3-1 whichis also diagrammatically illustrated.

Further, the machine Aimay be operated by an electric push button (notillustrated) which the user of the machine operates Whenever he desiresthe machine to be set into motion and to make a bag B.

It will also be apparent that a gang of machines A may be positionedside by side or in any adjacent relation to each other. Such machinesmay be operated in a group to make individual bags finished from thetubing 13 of the roll 10 as fast as the bags are desired for use. Thus,the machine A or a group of these machines may be positioned at thepoint where it is desired to fill .the same with any commodities, andthus, the operator is supplied with any number of bags desired as fastas they are needed .and delivered individually so that they can bequickly filled with any product that is desired to be placed in the bagsB.

.The prefabricated tubing 13 which makes up the roll it) may be printedupon as indicated by-the rectangular portion 32 indicated in Figures 2and 3. When the material 12; is printed at 32 on the surface thereofeither on one side of the material or both sides, it'is desirable thatthe cutting off point 21 and the sealing 19' be'properly positioned sothat the finished bags B will have the printing 32 in the desiredposition on the wall of the finished bag. This is regulated by thespacing of the holes 14 in the proper position so that the sealing'andcutting off, of the tubing material 13 will be at the correctpredetermined point. Thus, it is important that the timing of thecutting offknife 18 and the sealing member 19 be such as to operate atthe correct moment a correctly displayed on the side of the bag.

It will be apparent that the electric contact fingers 20 may besubstituted by an electric eye 35. The purpose of the fingers 24) or anelectric eye. 35 which obviously could be substituted for the fingers isto close an electric circuit and operating means to operate the cut offknife 18 and simultaneously operate the sealing member 19 into and outof contact with the tubular material 13 It will be apparent that eitherthe contact electric fingers 20 or the electric eye 35 when the same issubstituted therefor may be adjusted into a 'position whereby bags ofdifferent lengths may be completed in the apparatus A.

in Figure 4, we have illustrated diagrammatically a perforating meansfor the tubular material coming from the roll It). The tubular materialon the roll 10 "in Figure 4 is not perforated like that shown inFigure2, and therefore we provide a perforating means 33 which ispositioned between the feed rollers 15 and the electric fingers 20. Thusin this form the tubular material 13 is perforated after it comes fromthe feed roll 10 to providethe openings 14 and then the material passesunder the electric fingers 20 and the bags are finished in the samemanner as heretofore set forth and described in Figure 1.

InFig-ure 5, we have illustrated diagrammatically printing means 34which prints a mark onthc tubing so that when the tubing 13 passes underthe electric eye 35,

' the mechanism for sealing and cutting oif the bags here-l 1. Inapparatus for making bags from a continuous web of thermoplasticmaterial having spaced holes therein,

the combination comprising a supporting frame, means on one end of saidframe for mounting a supply roll of the material, a pair of feed rollspositioned on said frame adjacent said-supply roll, a pair of carryingrolls positioned on said frame longitudinally from said feed rolls, a

said feed rolls and carrying rolls adapted to move said web along saidframe over a table having an' electric conductor surface thereon andsecured to said frame intermediate said feed and carrying rolls, slendermetallic finger means attached to the table for sensing the holes in thematerial as it passes over the table, said finger means positioned inregistry with the spaced holes of said web and adapted to yieldablyengage the top surface of the web as it moves along the table and toclose an electric control circuit when a hole of the web allows saidfinger to pass therethrough and contact the electric conductor surfaceof the table, means adjacent said carrying rolls for transverselycutting the, web of material, means adjacent said cutting means fortransversely sealing the web of material, means responsive to anelectric control circuit closed by said metallic fingers for controllingthe timing of said cutting and sealing means to thereby make bags of alength corresponding to the distance between the spaced holes in thematerial, a pair of discharge rolls positioned at the end of said frameremote from said supply roll, electromechanical means positioned betweensaid sealing means and said discharge rolls for intermittentlyenergizing said feed rolls, carrying rolls and discharge rolls and atray for receiving finished bags.

2; A machine for making bags from tubular thermoplastic materialcomprising a horizontal frame, means for supporting a supply roll of thematerial positioned at oneend of said frame, a first pair of feed rollspositioned on said frame adjacent said supporting means, a

control circuit when said fingers pass through the perfora tions in saidmaterial.

4. An apparatus for making bags from thermoplastic tubular materialcomprising a longitudinally positioned table, the upper face thereofhaving an electricalconductive surface positioned thereon, perforatingmeans POSI- tioned at one end of said table for perforating the materialat spaced intervals corresponding to thelength of the bags to be made, aplurality of roller means for moving the material through saidperforating means and over a the electric conductive surface of saidtable; electrically actuated cutting and sealing means positionedadjacent each other at the end ofsaid table opposite said perforatingmeansto transversely cut and seal the material simul 1 taneously, anadjustable'electric sensing device positioned above the electricconductive surface of said tableand connected by an electric'circuit tosaid cutting and sealing means, said-sensing device having an electriccontact 1 member adapted to pass through the perforations inthe materialfor contacting the conductive surface of said table to close theelectric circuit as the perforations in thematerial pass under saidsensing device, whereby said sealing and cutting means are actuated bythe circuit at fixed intervals corresponding to the passing of theperforations in the material under said sensing device.

5. In apparatusfor making bags from a continuous web of thermoplasticmaterial having spaced holes therein, the combination comprising asupporting frame, means on one end of said-frame for mounting a supplyroll of the material, a pair of feed rolls positioned on said 7 frameadjacent said supply roll, a pair of carrying rolls second pair of feedrolls positioned on said frame in longitudinally spaced relation fromsaid first pair of rolls, said first and second feed rolls adapted tomove the material along said frame, means for perforating thematerialthrough the perforations in the stock, means for transverselycutting and sealing the material after it passes through said secondpair of feed rolls, said transverse cutting and sealing means beingactuated by said sensing means in response to the perforations made insaid material, a pair of discharge rolls and tray means attached to theend of said frame opposite said supporting means for respectivelydischarging and receiving finished bags.

3; The device of claim 2 wherein the electrical sensing means consistsof contact fingers biased in yieldable contact with the stock andadapted to energize an electric positioned on said frame longitudinallyfrom said feed rolls, said feed rolls and carrying rolls adapted to movesaid webalong said frame over a table having an electric conductorsurface thereon and secured to said frame intermediate said feed andcarrying rolls, slender metallic finger means attached to the table forsensingthe holes in the material as it passes over the table, saidfinger means consisting of a slender metallic finger positioned inregistry-with the spaced holes of said web and adapted to yieldablyengage the top surface of the web as it moves along the table and toclose an electric control circuit when a hole of the web allows saidfinger to pass' therethrough and contact the electric conductor surfaceby said metallic fingers for controlling'the timing of said cutting andsealing means to thereby make bags of a length corresponding to thedistance between the spaced holes in the material, a pair of dischargerolls positioned at the end of said frame remote from said supply, roll,

and 'electromechanical means positioned between said sealing means andsaid discharge rolls for intermittently energizing said feed rolls,carrying rolls, and discharge rolls.

-. References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS947,744 Stohr Jan. 25, 1910 r 2,200,971 Sonneborn May 14, 1940 2,299,984Horwitz Oct. 27,. 1942 2,326,931 Dalton Aug. 17, 1943 2,635,672 RumseyApr. 21, 1953 2,652,879 Keller ettal. Sept. 22, 1953 2,707,985 BinnallMay 10, 1955 2,749,817 Piazze June 12, 1956 Miller Aug. 28, 19 56

